Roy's Story
by stupidandcontagious44
Summary: Roy's side of the adventure. Join the redhaired swordsman as he struggles with friends, foes and, of course, the battles he's thrown into...HIATUS due to lack of response
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own absolutely none of this. Whatsoever. If I did, Roy and Marth would speak English. But they don't. So yeah. Glad that's cleared up.

Super Smash Bros.: MELEE

Roy's story…

Chapter One: Awakening

The young flame-red haired lord opened his eyes groggily. His head was spinning and everything seemed foggy at first. Slowly but surely his head cleared and his vision focused, but what he was seeing was almost the last thing he expected. Blackness surrounded him, dotted by pinpoint lights; stars in a night sky.

_Where… _he began slowly, then stopped and shook his head. It still wasn't fully cleared.

_Where am I? _he managed at last.

'THERE WERE 12."

Roy shuddered and would have lost balance from the shock of the voice erupting in his mind, except here there was no up or down, let alone gravity to pull him.

Before he could try to ask what the voice meant, the voice continued.

'THERE WERE 12 HEROES. THEY WERE CHOSEN FOR THEIR STRENGTHS AND TALENTS.'

Images suddenly flashed past Roy's eyes; a blond haired man dressed in a green tunic and long hat, a sword in one hand and a shield strapped to the opposite arm. A robotic-seeming yellow and red person with a large gun attached to one arm. A comical, pudgy, red hat-, and shirt, -ted man in blue overalls with an 'M' on the cap and what could have been a taller and slightly skinnier twin in green with an 'L'. More, some less human; two pink balls and a large yellow mouse. Too many to keep track of, yet somehow each detail was catalogued into his mind.

'BECAUSE THEY WERE THE BEST IN THEIR WORLDS, I KNEW ONE WOULD HAVE THE STRENGTH TO RISE ABOVE THE REST AND DESTROY THE "MASTER HAND". '

Another image of a giant…glove? Roy would have shaken his head if he could but the voice had his attention again.

'BECAUSE I NEEDED THE BEST OF THE BEST I PIT THEM IN BATTLES BETWEEN ONE ANOTHER. I KNEW THE VICTORIOUS ONE WOULD RESTORE PEACE ONCE MORE.'

Images of a large gorilla with a tie, a small, green dinosaur creature, a humanoid fox and the green tunic and hat clad man charging at one another in some sort of arena flashed past.

'MASTER HAND WAS DEFEATED AND THESE WORLDS COULD REST, SAVE FOR THEIR OWN EVILS. BUT UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS MORE…' the hand appeared, along with another, twitching hand. 'MASTER HAND WAS RESSURECTED BY HIS BROTHER, CRAZY HAND. NOW THESE HEROES AND NEW ONES MUST BE CALLED UPON TO DEFEAT THEM. YOU HAVE PROVEN YOURSELF ONE OF THE STRONGEST, SKILLFUL AND MOST CUNNING IN YOUR WORLD. YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO STOP THIS EVIL, ALONG WITH OTHERS. I WISH YOU GOOD LUCK; MAY YOU BRING DOWN THESE DEMONS WHO PLAGUE US ALL.'

Roy felt a tug and then he was hurtling forward, into space. He caught glimpses of others, a blue bird, dressed like the fox and also humanoid. A huge turtle with spikes on his back and fire in his eyes. Still more once again, flashing by but each detail picked out and categorized. Suddenly, blinding white light enveloped him and time seemed to stop…and then Roy collapsed on a hard metal floor.

vv vv vv vv vv

Roy wasn't alone in the room.

That was the first realization he had. The second was that he recognized all of these people from a dreamlike memory; something that had come up in his sleep a long time ago but he knew had actually happened only hours ago at most.

With a groan he pushed himself up from his former position, sprawled out on the ground on his stomach. He heard the…others…doing likewise and looked around him. Some of the people were already up, and the rest weren't far behind him in getting there. A tall, muscular man in a blue jumpsuit and red helmet with some sort of bird on the front was one of those already standing. He saw the yellow mousy creature that he had taken note of and one next to it, very similar except for being smaller, more round and having bigger ears. The larger one was looking around with interest and almost familiarity. So was the warrior with the long, green hat, the short men with the overalls and mustaches, and 8 of the others besides. The rest were standing around uncertainly. Roy guessed that the first 12 were the ones that the Voice had mentioned to him before. He decided to study the other newcomers for a while.

Before he got a good look around, a tall, red haired and angry looking man approached him with some insignia on his hand, a triangle made up of 3 yellow, smaller triangles. The man's skin was sort of a green and brown mix, which made him look unhealthy. The fiery look in his eyes made Roy grab his sword hilt cautiously. The man got very close…towering over him…smiling menacingly…and…made some sort of sound that distinctly resembled a cow.

Roy gaped and almost dropped his sword. He had expected some attack from the look of the man's face. Another look showed that the angry look was just the way his face was shaped. The smile wasn't friendly by any means, but not supposed to be threatening.

More mooing sounds came out of him and Roy realized he was trying to communicate.

"Umm…Hello…?"

The tall man grunted some more and gave him a strange look before walking off. Roy sighed and wondered if he had been sucked into this…place…for someone's unusual entertainment instead of what the Voice told him. The only thing that made him believe was the recognition in the supposed original dozen "heroes'" eyes.

One of the others noticed him; the green clothed man; and he came up to Roy with a friendly smile.

"Hyah!"

Roy blinked in surprise but recovered enough to say, "I don't understand what you're saying…"

The other man gave him a knowing look and tapped his wrist. Roy looked at his and saw some sort of wristband with a button and some sort of display screen on it. He looked back at the man and saw that he was miming pressing the button and saying something is his strange speech.

Roy pressed the button and suddenly recognizable speech was coming out of the blond.

"…-ranslator. I didn't figure it out until near the end of the first day last time I was here, and they were different then. This time Zelda showed me. That's her over there," he pointed to a pale blonde woman who was, Roy noted, quite attractive. "The guy just talking to you is Ganondorf. Both of them are from my world. Zelda is a princess there and Ganondorf is an evil sorcerer. Here, though, all old alliances and rivalries are broken. That's what they told us last time anyway."

"I see…I think," Roy replied absentmindedly. He was studying all of the others in the room again.

_Some of them don't even look real, _he thought. _Most are like something out of a book!_

Briefly Roy glimpsed someone vaguely familiar. He was about the same height as himself, but with blue hair and a golden hair band. His clothing was also blue, mostly the same shade as his hair. The more Roy thought about it, the more familiar it was. Before he had too much chance to ponder on it a door he hadn't noticed before, on the far side of the room, slid open.

The man that walked in was tall and bald. He had on an all black suit, save for the white shirt underneath the jacket he wore. He was bulky, but Roy didn't think it was fat. His presence alone made it seem like he could keep even the rowdiest person in the room in line without straining one bit. Overall, the best word Roy could find to describe him was…imposing.

"Welcome!"

His voice was deep and seemed to resonate and reverberate around the room. In a much milder, but still a deep bass.

"Welcome to our newcomers and welcome back for our returning heroes." His smiling face swept around the room to include everyone. "As I'm sure all of you have learned, Master Hand and his alter ego are a threat again and once again, the best of the best must be chosen to defeat them. Since the threat is bigger, the search has been expanded across worlds and even time itself to find that best man…or woman," he smiled again, apologetically and directed toward the women this time. Roy was a little surprised when the man included the tall, robotic person – woman, Roy supposed – in the look. The large, red helmet swiveled around; the look she was giving everyone was obviously challenging, easy to tell even though the visor hid her eyes. Everyone's attention was back on the man in the doorway though.

"We also have another person we had to call specially and I'm sure you'll understand why in a second." He turned around and looked around the doorway. "Link?"

A second later…Link appeared. It wasn't technically the same Link that Roy had talked to earlier, who was now staring, aghast at his…copy. This was a much younger version, at least by a decade. But there was no denying it was the same person. Blond hair. A green tunic and hat. A similar shield and sword strapped to his back. Even the shape of his face and the long, pointed ears were the same. A large glass bottle was tied to the back of his belt and filled with what appeared to be milk of some sort.

"Since we decided to look through time itself we thought 'why not use the hero of time itself to his full potential,' and so we have a younger Link with us in the tournament."

Once murmurs of shock and confusion died down and the younger Link had taken his place, the man – who still had offered no name – began again

"Now I'll explain the guidelines, rules, clauses, etcetera etcetera," he stated. "First, two our 3…I mean, 4, swordsmen: slashing weapons will not decapitate or leave any mark of any kind. That goes for any weapons. Before each battle your equipment will be altered slightly to enhance each trait and alter your weapon of choice, be it fist, gun, sword or otherwise, so that it causes a percentile, body-wise harmless, damaging effect. This enables you to rack up damage on an opponent while causing at most minor injuries." The fellow glanced around the room quickly. "I know for some of you this is review but please listen anyways.

"To continue, the point of this fighting system is to eventually weaken an enemy to the point where they can be knocked out of the arena."

Several people started muttering and a few even gasped; Roy knew his eyes were slightly widened. Not hurting someone until you sent them plunging to their deaths? That didn't make any sense.

"Please, let me finish," the mystery man said. "As soon as they reach a certain distance they'll be projected back either into the arena or to the losers' box, depending on the fighting style – timed or stock, I'll explain that in a moment – and it will be only harmful to your pride." He smiled again reassuringly. All the smiling was starting to irk Roy, he knew the man was only trying to be friendly, but all he wanted was to be done with this…whatever it was, but the man wasn't quite finished. "Stock battles give you a preset amount of times you'll be projected back before you're sent to the losers' box."

He clapped his hands together. "Now, that's about it, any more questions or concerns will be answered in time, either on your own or by me. Through this door," he gestured with one hand behind him, "you will find sleeping, eating, sanitary and general living quarters. Everyone pick a room and settle in and by all means enjoy yourselves. And most of all…," he put on a devilish grin, "prepare to MELEE!"

vv vv vv vv vv

Roy collapsed on the bed. His mind was whirling at a thousand miles per hour. What was going on? Who were these people? Why was the blue haired man so familiar? And, most of all, where and what was this place? Outside the door had been a list of names, each with a button beside it. It was the same with each door, and when he had pressed the button next to his name, the door had turned blue with a silver and red fire insignia on it and the inside had been customized to fit his wants and needs.

_Right now_, he thought sleepily, _I am going to sleep. Tomorrow I'll try to find out a bit more about these people._

And with that, he fell into a deep sleep.

This is my first fic so R&R with any details I miss, any grammar or spelling mistakes and any information you have about the game that I may need. Also add any changes to the general story I could make that would make it more enjoyable for you. All of your help will be greatly appreciated

-S&C44


	2. Chapter 2

Super Smash Bros.: MELEE

Roy's story…

Chapter Two: Fight On!

Roy tried not to stare. There was Zelda, sitting, barely covered by a thin white robe, at the edge of a Jacuzzi tub. And staring at him with smoky, heated eyes.

"Come here," she whispered, "The water feels _great_."

And then, with Roy still watching every move, she stood up, slowly peeling her robe off her shoulders…sliding the thin material down her chest…-

BLING-A-LING-A-LING-A-LING!

Roy shot up in bed with a cry of "No-o-o-o!"

He took a second to recall his surroundings. He was in his customized bedroom in the mansion provided for them by whoever was running the fighting, and it was the fourth day there. With a sigh he hauled himself off the mattress and started putting on his casual wear, also provided by the owner of the housing and specially designed for him. Checking his unruly red hair in the mirror, and not being able to fix it, he opened the door into the hallway…and nearly had it slammed into his face as two small, yellow figures sped by. Pichu and Pikachu, he recalled. Over the past few days he had learned most of the other occupants' names in the building.

Shaking his head, he moseyed down to the kitchen area. Captain Falcon and Falco were down there at the table, munching on their toast and arguing about something no one else knew, nor cared, about. Their similarities in names apparently caused some confusion among the newer housemates. Which caused the two of them to try to prove they were different, resulting in many pointless arguments.

Someone else was also there, cooking her breakfast and talking with Samus, the robotic suited, one-time bounty hunter. She didn't have the suit on at the moment, revealing surprisingly pretty face and long, blonde hair. Roy's attention, however, was on the other blonde next to her. The one cooking her meal. Zelda.

She was examining Samus' blue, special suit; Samus couldn't function for long without her normal suit on so she used this one that had been designed for her to keep her fully healthy while out of battle. The robe Zelda was wearing, Roy noticed, was a lot like the one he had dreamed her in. It was slightly thicker and the patterns on it accentuated her long, delicate ears, slightly tilted, big, green eyes, light, but prominent curves…

Roy shook his head hard. _Stoppit, _he thought to himself, _it was only a dream!_ With that, he grabbed a muffin and sat down in a chair, trying very hard to think of _anything_ but her.

He was soon joined by Link in a green tunic but without the hat on. He grabbed a bagel, said hello to Zelda and sat down next to Roy.

"Did you hear the news?" he asked.

"No, what is it?"

Link grinned at him. "Today we start the trials."

The younger Link that the owners had provided popped up behind the original. "It's true," he said. "I heard it straight from the host guy!"

Roy gave him a wry smile. "Kind of like the time you heard Mr. Game and Watch was here to eat us in our sleep, eh, Young Link? Straight from the host?"

Young Link blushed slightly. He had thought that the two-dimensional…thing…person maybe…was actually an alien from outer space. Something he had heard about from Ness, the only other young boy in the building.

"This time I mean it though. I'm not the only one who's heard it. Yoshi and Mewtwo were discussing it when I was on my way down."

"Discussing what?"

Roy jumped. He hadn't noticed Zelda gliding over, breakfast in hand. She smiled at him and sat down. Roy nearly quivered with the effort it took not to stare. Those eyes were like big, green pools he could drown in happily, and—

He wanted to slap himself. _Cut that out, damn you,_ he thought to himself. _She's Link's anyway, and besides, we're only here for one thing. Focus!_

He stood up. "I…I think I'm going to go warm up a bit. Have to be prepared and everything."

On the way out he nearly bumped into Mario and Luigi, the short ex-plumbers. It was strange to him to see people and things that might be slightly twisted animals walking around when they looked like they should belong in a book somewhere. The two brothers were round and rather short, although Luigi was slightly taller and thinner than Mario. Luigi also had a green shirt and hat, whereas Mario's were red.

Out in the training yard he saw Marth, the blue-haired man who had seen so familiar before. After hearing his name, Roy knew where he had recognized the name. Marth was a prince from a time before Roy's own, and Roy had read books about him and his exploits.

When he saw Roy, Marth smiled and approached. Very similar to Roy in many ways, he had on a long cape, blue like the rest of his attire that consisted of a tunic, light armor, breeches and boots, also similar to Roy. Roy's own cape had the same shade of red as his hair on the inside, the armor was slightly heavier and his pants were an off-white color.

"I'm guessing you heard the news too, huh," Marth said as he approached. "Warming up beforehand? Me too. Do you want to spar a little? I always find that's the best way to prepare."

Roy blinked, slightly startled at the non-stop flow of words, not thrown at him in a chatter he had heard from one woman there, Princess Peach who was from Mario and Luigi's world, but without enough pause to let Roy get in a word until he stopped.

"Of course, Prince Marth."

Marth chuckled. "Please, just Marth will do."

Roy smiled back. "Alright. Shall we?"

Marth nodded and the two moved out into the center of the yard, unsheathing their swords. Roy noticed that his own Sword of Seals was slightly wider, but not quite as long as Marth's. Even his 'ready' stance was similar, sword point down and facing your opponent at an angle.

"Ready?" At Roy's quick nod Marth rushed forward, sword swinging down at Roy's head.

Roy raised his own sword to parry the swing and then pivoted smoothly on one foot, slashing horizontally at Marth's side. With surprising speed, Marth held his sword point down again, only this time in front of Roy's attack, in what Roy recognized as his own 'counter' position. Preparing for what was about to come, Roy continued his attack, and when he felt steel on steel he immediately jumped into a counter of his own. A burst of flame marked his hit and smoothly he pulled his sword over his shoulder and concentrated all of his energy into it. A humming sound started and his sword started glowing.

As the humming increased pitch and the glowing became brighter, Marth had pulled himself to his feet. He almost gaped in amazement, recognizing the stance for Shield Breaker, a technique only he could use. Except instead of purple it was a white glow. Wasting no time he began to charge up his own attack.

Roy saw Marth take the same stance and with the same effect. The only problem was that Marth's attack was charging faster than his own Flare Blade. Both the glow and the hum for both swordsmen reached a maximum point and with a yell each, they unleashed their most powerful attacks.

Roy's Flare Blade created a fiery explosion and sent Marth flying considerably further than Marth's Shield Breaker would have alone. But because of the explosion, Roy received damage, too, and was sent flying almost as far.

Slowly, the two of them got up. Roy felt like he had been shaken by Donkey Kong, the large primate with a tie, and chewed up by Bowser, a large, spiky creature resembling a turtle. Though his vision was blurry, he could still see the shape of Marth climbing to his feet none too steadily. He labored to do the same, but eventually got up. Seemingly, just standing helped, as his vision cleared and his legs became sturdier.

Blue eyes met aqua. Roy and Marth held each other's gaze for a moment. Then they dashed toward each other.

As soon as they came within sword's length of each other, Roy glided into a series of techniques known as the 'Dancing Blade'. He was surprised when his sword hit Marth's, but kept moving by instinct. Each slash, stab, thrust and swing was blocked and Roy quickly realized they were both using the same move. He frowned in concentration and started changing his style from middle to high to low and a mix of all three. And each time, Marth's sword was there to counter the blow. Roy could tell he was weakening, though; Roy's arm was stronger than his blue haired adversary.

Finally, after almost 5 minutes of twisting, turning and dodging, Roy forced Marth's arm down and he stumbled back. The flame haired fighter took the chance to pull back for a full force swing.

Marth had only one option at this point. Be taken down now or try to hold out for as long as possible in defiance. He chose the second option and created a bubble-like, blue shield around himself. It was another useful feature of the strange bracelets they were given, besides translating all of the different dialects of the fighters. Roy's sword hit and the shield blurred and shrank.

Roy was slightly surprised at Marth's final attempt at recovering but didn't slow a flurry of slashes, each bringing the shield down until Marth fell back on the paving stones. Roy placed the tip of his sword at Marth's throat and placed a booted foot on his chest. Suddenly, cheers broke out around them. Roy jumped and looked around. Everyone had gathered around the Training Yard. Kirby, a pink ball with arms, feet and facial features was up on tiptoe applauding vehemently. Link gave him a thumbs' up and resumed his applause. Young Link was right next to him, pumping a fist into the air. Even Mr. Game and Watch was there, although it was hard to tell if he turned to the side. Most of all, though, Roy saw Zelda. She wasn't cheering, just standing there, smiling at him. That was what made his pride glow most. He raised his sword into the air and smiled triumphantly.

_Since when do I try to show off for girls?_ Roy thought to himself. He still felt that ball of pride in his stomach because Zelda had smiled at him. _Smiled!_ That was it and yet he was giddy and lightheaded. In fact, since coming here he seemed to have changed, whether for better or worse, he didn't know yet.

A voice booming through the yard cut them off short, however.

"That was great, but do you think you can do it in the arena?" Roy saw their host striding toward them. "Yeah, you're strong, but this guy here," he gestured to Marth, still picking himself up off the ground, "is easily faster. In the actual fighting your weaknesses will be exploited just as much as your strengths. Keep that in mind," he said, "and remember I'll be watching all of you." The man grinned broadly and delivered the next sentence in that booming voice again. "I'm the announcer."

"Why do we need an announcer?" a voice echoed through Roy's head.

Apparently the announcer…host…whichever he was heard it too, because the big man turned to Mewtwo. Roy blinked and stared questioningly for a second before he remembered. This…poking man or whatever they were called was psychic. He, Pikachu and Pichu and another round pink ball with pointed ears and a tuft on its head called Jigglypuff were all from the same world.

Before their host could answer, Mario piped up. "Didn't you hear him? We'll be in an arena, with a crowd watching, ah?" He spun around and posed, one leg back and two fingers up in a V, saying "It's a-me-a, Mario!" Luigi, Princess Peach and Bowser looked at each other and sighed.

The announcer looked at Mario, studying him for a moment before focusing back on everyone else.

"I almost forgot," he said with a smile. "We have one more late entry, picked by my employer himself." With that he gave a sharp whistle, and from the doorway came…Mario?

This Mario was similar in every way except instead of a hat he had a headband with a round, metal, shiny thing on it and was wearing a smock.

"This is…Doctor Mario."

"It's a-m—"

Their host snapped his fingers and the "Doctor's" voice became muffled. Because of the Link – Young link ordeal, no one was all too surprised save for Mario himself. But he never had a chance to dwell on it because the announcer smiled again.

"Now that we're all here…" He stopped and looked around, then smiled again. "Let's get ready to MELEE!"

That ends this installment. The next chapter will have the actual arena-try-to-KO-everyone-else fighting in it. R&R with any helpful hints or even just feedback in general. Yes, even the bad feedback.

S&C44


	3. Chapter 3

Super Smash Bros.: MELEE

Roy's story…

Chapter Three: "Let's Get Ready to Melee!"

The 'Smashers', as they were called by their host – announcer, were all gathered in a room that looked very similar to the one they had been gathered in the first time Roy had come to this place. Except this time there were four round platforms on one side of the room, opposite the door.

"Once you step onto those platforms you will be altered," their host explained. "Small changes will be made to your apparel, and maybe even to your physical being, whilst you are in the arena so that you will be better fit for the battle style you are about to be immersed in. Also note your strengths _and_ your weaknesses will be exploited. For instance if you're physically strong but at the cost of your speed, those will each be slightly more evident." Bowser frowned. Well, frowned slightly in a slightly more worried fashion than his normal scowl. "Speed will also be a more evident factor if that is a trait of yours, but your strength will more than likely decrease. The same can go for stamina, defense, and etcetera. It all depends on your personal traits."

Roy thought about it. He supposed he wasn't overly fast. Average, really. He was slower than Marth but stronger than the other swordsman. Every strength was balanced out by a weakness. Roy looked around the room. He was just glad that he was one of the last people to go so that he could study everyone else to learn their weaknesses and use them against the other Smashers.

vvvvvvvvv

High up in the Smashers' box, Roy watched Bowser's and Mario's battle. They were in a stock match and Mario had been running and jumping around the arena more than half the time, landing multiple hits on Bowser, but most weren't enough to damage him too much. Bowser, however, had only managed to get a few hits on Mario, though they made up in number through sheer power. Each had managed to knock the other off 4 out of 5 times however, and each had a high damage count according to the large screen behind them.

The screen apparently showed what was displayed on the much smaller screens that were located on their wristbands. At any time during the battle you could glance down and check which opponent to focus on.

Bowser was currently watching Mario hop from a higher platform that seemed to be hovering in the air. The arena currently in use was dubbed "Pokémon Stadium" and transformed into different stages like a "rock" stage where everything was earth – based or something like that. Right now it was at the original form: a green, rectangular stage with two smaller duplicates hovering about 7 feet above the ground serving as platforms.

Mario was jumping off one of the platforms and Bowser saw his chance.

A stream of fire came from Bowser's mouth, hitting the ground and shooting out about 8 feet from there, straight at where Mario was going to land. At the last second, Mario stopped short and pulled back slightly, spread – eagled and hovering in the air for a moment. Special dodging abilities were another stipulation of being altered for battle. Bowser's attack missed by mere inches and Mario ran up to swing some sort of cape-like thing at him. With very surprising alacrity, Bowser leapt into the air and somersaulted, landing very hard on Mario. Because Mario's damage was so high, the already powerful attack sent Mario flying off the edge at high speed, going out of sight before a crash and flash of light came from the direction he had disappeared in.

Their host…announcer's voice came over a loudspeaker over the audiences' cheers.

"GAME! And the winner is…BOWSER!"

The voice boomed and echoed. The noise made the little box holding the other 24 Smashers shake. Luigi and Princess Peach looked a little sour, but the rest of the occupants of the room applauded.

Samus and Ness were the next two to go up. The boy did quite well, using his psychic powers and baseball bat, eventually winning the match, much to the surprise of their peers. And so it went on, and as he watched, Roy calculated, sorted and stored each of the other Smashers' statistics and performance in battle. Caught up in his thinking, he was caught off guard when Marth tapped him on the shoulder.

"I want a rematch," he said with a glint in his aqua eye, and strode off.

vvvvvvvvv

Roy and Marth stepped into the room with the strange platforms. A last nod and handshake and they stepped onto the circles in the floor.

Roy felt a change as soon as his foot hit the section of floor and he was warped out onto the arena on a hovering platform unlike the two already there. It was only big enough for him and would disappear as soon as he stepped off. He glanced around quickly at himself, it took only a fraction of a second but he noticed the changes. The armor he wore was more ornate. A quick look up showed his hair was darker, just like the inside of his cape. He felt stockier, though still not much beyond what he was.

Marth's changes were very similar. There was more decoration on the armor and darker colored hair, along with the being oh so slightly broader.

Both of them somersaulted backward off their individual platforms. Marth automatically launched into a Sword Dance. Roy felt a strange feeling, not of pain precisely, but more the _idea_ that there was pain. The scoreboard behind them showed his damage percentage going up with each hit. On the fourth hit, Roy was hurtled backwards from the impact, near the edge. Jumping up, he seized the edge of the platform above him and rolled across it, just in time to get behind a fast – charging Marth. Wondering faintly about how he was moving so fast, Roy dropped down behind the blue – haired man and struck with a few quick, slicing swings of his sword.

The surprise attack combined with the number of hits was enough to send Marth off the edge of the platform. Just as he was regrouping, the other swordsman twisted in midair, somehow did a mid-air hop and used a move similar to the redhead's own Blazer. It propelled him upward and he grasped the ledge and hauled himself back up.

Because of his momentary shock, Roy didn't notice until he was struck that Marth was charging up an attack that was similar to his Shield Breaker attack, but not quite. That alone made him wonder what it was briefly as he flew through the air. The next thing he felt was a feeling of being sucked into something and faintly he could hear a roar, either of the crowd or of his hitting the invisible barrier, he didn't know.

vvvvvvvvv

Lying on his back in bed with an arm draped over his face, Roy thought furiously. How had Marth been able to move so fast, swing with such power? At the same time, his war – trained mind was already at work developing new strategies against the blue – clad man and the others.

Someone knocked at the door.

"Come in," he called. Stifling groans, he sat up on the edge of the bed. Wounds might not actually hurt during battle, but they gave the receiver a headache for the ages.

All pain was forgotten when Zelda waltzed in. She didn't show any sign of aches or pains, but that was probably because she didn't suffer such a humiliating defeat. In fact, she had won her battle, surprising Yoshi with a quick change into the character she called Sheik, a martial arts master.

Trying to stand straight, he stood up and smiled warmly. Friendly smile. Don't push it too far.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, slight concern in her eyes and voice, but a smile on her lips nonetheless.

Roy stretched. "Oh, as well as can be expected from what happened today."

She laughed. Such a musical sound, that slight chuckle. It was almost as if…

_Stop it!_ Roy berated himself silently. _What's wrong with you? Ever since you got here your brain has been going to mush!_

"Anyway, I came to tell you that there's a meeting being called right now," she said, still with that small, kind smile. "It seems Marth found out something that our host…or announcer…whatever one he is, forgot to mention."

"Of course. That would explain my one to five defeat today."

Chuckling again, she exited. Roy stood there a moment longer, thinking deeply about how Marth could have figured that out, Zelda's eyes, whether the large man who served as their host had purposely kept that information from them and Zelda's eyes.

vvvvvvvvv

"'Smasher' is the title given to you for a reason," the announcer was saying as Roy came down the stairs. "I can't believe I forgot this, and I'm sure I'll be in trouble for it, but Smash Attacks, Dashing and Throws are one of the keys to this tournament."

Roy looked around the room. Everyone was present from Samus in her special blue casual wear to Pichu, the small, yellow mouse-like creature. Everyone was there…except for Marth. Roy guessed he probably thought he knew all about this and didn't need to hear it again. Throwing, however, hadn't been used on him in the whole fight. Thus, Marth had just lost his advantage.

vvvvvvvvv

Four days later was the next match, and it had been promised to be special. Those four days had seen Roy constantly practicing on the Wire Frames in the Practice Room, an entire corner of the house to itself. Master his throws, blocks, Counters and Smash Attacks had been the priority. He also discovered that Smashing could be done in any direction, as long as the focus was the same. A charged upward thrust would result in flames shooting up the blade of his sword, a charged downward swing in both directions would send opponents onto their backs and the default forward swing would do essentially the same thing as a fully charged Flare Blade, but without the fiery explosion, therefore resulting in less damage.

On the day of the fight, everyone was told to go back into their rooms and not to come out under any circumstances whatsoever. Roy had to go to the bathroom _very_ badly. After a quick decision, he turned to his window.

Shutting the window and redoing his pants, he sighed contentedly. And then jumped when he heard his name being called over the private intercom.

"Roy, go to the arena entrance room, please."

Starting down the hall, he noticed it was utterly silent. Everyone must have been waiting anxiously to hear if his or her names would be called he supposed.

_But…why all the secrecy?_

Arriving at his destination, he noticed no one else was there.

"Step onto the platform," he was told again over the intercom.

Stepping through, he felt the alterations being made to his body as he was transported to an arena. When the sensation stopped, it was completely dark. Holding out his hand, he tried to find it in the pitch – blackness and ended up hitting himself in the face from leaning forward too far.

Suddenly, the announcer's voice blasted through the darkness.

"TIMED MELEE!"

Lights blasted on and the roar of the crowd filled Roy's ears. Blinking from the momentary blindness, he took note of the new stadium. It was a series of four different platforms arranged in a diamond shape. The bottom one was the widest, and where he was located currently. The two on either side were smallest and the top one was in between both. They appeared to be mining cart tracks, floating over green lava in a very large cave. Looking down, the flame haired man noticed that the lava seemed to be rising steadily. Already, plans were forming in his mind on how to get to the highest platform and hopefully avoid that.

_At least I haven't lost _that_ much sense,_ he thought to himself dryly.

Suddenly he became aware of Samus on the middle level platform farthest from him, and Fox McCloud, the humanoid seeming fox and Kirby, one of the two pink balls, on the top platform.

The announcer's voice reverberated throughout the stage again. "IT'S TIME FOR BATTLE ROYALE!" More cheers erupted from the unseen fans, and then Roy heard his wristband beep twice, looked down, and saw a timer start on it. As if that was a cue, all four combatants leapt into battle.

vvvvvvvvv

"Eeeyah!" Roy cried out, using Blazer to shoot up from the lower level to the top, knocking Samus and Kirby into the air. Samus fell on her back on the edge and Kirby went sailing through the air, hitting the invisible barrier and warping back on the little platform again. Before he had the time to come back, however, Roy had used his low Smash Attack to knock Samus off to the side. And was abruptly sent into the air from Fox's aptly named Fire Fox, which consists of the mysterious creature charging up in a ball of flame before shooting up into the air.

Which is why it was no surprise that Roy barely had time to twist, jump again in mid-air and use Blazer to grab the edge. Jumping was not a strength and it showed. Because of that, Samus had the lead in Knock Outs, but Roy was only one behind her. Pulling himself up, he grabbed Kirby from behind and threw him over the edge that he himself had just climbed up. The pink ball puffed up and floated back toward the stage, only to be hit repeatedly by Fox's Blaster attack, lose concentration and fall into the rapidly rising magma. Which, Roy noticed as he roll – dodged Samus' default Smash, was very close to where they were at.

Using a quick Smash on Samus to keep her down at the last moment, Roy double-jumped up onto the top platform and stood in a ready Counter position. Because Samus still hadn't regained her feet by the time the strangely colored lava reached her, she was shot into the air, a result of high damage; almost 250, Roy noticed, quickly glancing at his wristband before she reached the barrier; and the damage of the lava. Fox jumped up with a downward Smash prepared, only to be Countered off the edge and onto the bubbling inferno himself, staying alive only because of a low damage count.

Fox being bounced right back in front of the red haired swordsman, however, was even worse after he was on the receiving end of a Flare Blade attack, sending him in the same direction Samus had gone moments earlier.

_Speaking of Samus, where—_

That was all he had time to think before Kirby shot up from below him and he was sent up into the air. He twisted, already knowing he was far too high up to even _want_ to try recovering, and saw the tail end of Samus' Screw Attack, which let her jump and spin, somersaulting many times rapidly in midair, causing plenty of damage.

_Damn her. I almost won, _Roy thought as he braced for impact…and…

Froze in midair.

"TIME!" came the cry of the announcer.

"AND THE WINNER IS…ROY!"

vvvvvvvvv

After much congratulating and cajoling on his improvement from last time, Roy stumbled up the stairs to his room. Collapsing on the bed, his last thought before exhaustion over took him was the light of pride in Zelda's beautiful green eyes.

Thus, I end the third installment of my premier story. R&R, muchly appreciate it.

S&C44


	4. Chapter 4

Super Smash Bros.: MELEE

Roy's story…

Chapter Four: Teammates suck

The next few days after the battle royale Roy, Samus, Kirby and Fox had been in were filled with exhibition matches with little rest in between. Roy faced off against Pikachu and Pichu and defeated Pichu but tied Pikachu at the last second. His battle with Mr. Game and Watch was a disaster, but only because he kept losing focus. The…thing…kept disappearing! Only too far in to recover did the red head discover how to keep him in sight and score a few points before being defeated. His last fight of the week, however, was the most…interesting.

"Team matches," their host announced, "are a vital part to this whole operation. If you can't learn teamwork, you will more than likely not go far in the tournament." Heads swiveled throughout the room, everyone exchanging slightly worried glances with everyone else. "Remember that even if you aren't put on a team, you can still pair up with someone on the battlefield to help achieve a goal."

"Now, the reason I brought this up is because that's what we're doing next. I already have the first pairs picked out, and I chose them by who would go best with whom. On the Blue team will be Marth and Roy-" Roy clenched his teeth and tried not to groan. Marth had proved to be arrogant and overly competitive over the past week or so, it was almost unbearable! "-and on the Green team will be Link and Zelda." That _really_ made Roy want to groan. One of the last things he wanted to do was attack Zelda!

"So good luck to both teams, and may the more cooperative win!"

vvvvvvvvv

Roy and Marth stepped through the teleporters, now glowing blue, and warped on top of a giant balloon.

"What…the hell…is this?" Marth asked, jumping up and down on the springy object.

"Apparently, it's a big, blue turtle."

"…Right."

Roy and Marth's clothing had lost any color that wasn't blue. Everything except Roy's hair and their skin was some shade of blue. Roy's hair was more brown than red and Marth's armor was very, very dark.

When Link and Zelda warped up, Link looked essentially the same and Zelda had a green dress with darker green embroidery on it. All Roy could think was that it set off her eyes nicely.

The two teams took their respective places, Zelda and Marth on either arm of the giant turtle and Link and Roy on the head. As soon as they heard the crowd cheer and the announcer yell "MELEE," they lunged at each other.

Roy and Link's swords clashed and they drew up, faces a mere inch apart, teeth bared and both of them pushing for the advantage. Link swung his shield up in attempt to knock Roy away, but he ducked and rolled away. And just in the nick of time, too, he noticed as a red orb came flying from behind Link, exploding in flames where Roy had just been. Zelda's 'Din's Fire' could be a painful experience, as Roy had seen before.

The massive balloon started to quake then, and a long, snake shaped balloon seemingly made out of rocks floated toward them from above. Roy jumped up onto it just as the previous perch started to sink. Marth and Link – who had locked in combat as the other swordsman had dodged away – jumped up immediately after and beyond them, Roy saw Zelda vanish and reappear on the serpentine balloon as well.

Link suddenly gave a loud "Hyah!" and whipped around in circles almost too fast for the eye to follow, sword outstretched. Marth was sent flying to the edge of the temporary platform, skidding slightly as he landed. The space he was given gave Link time to pull out one of his specialty bombs and hurl it at Roy.

Double jumping, Roy somersaulted over the green clad man and found himself directly in front of a startled Zelda.

Confusion and panic overwhelmed him. _Oh no…do I strike? I can't do that! What's wrong with me?_

Roy's stalling gave Zelda the second she needed to recover and she punched him in the ribs. And surprisingly, it hurt more than the blue-clothed man expected. Not as much, of course, as the blast of flame that followed it.

Needless to say, after that, Roy had very little problem with attacking Zelda. _Not_ attacking Marth took some effort.

The other man took needless risks because he thought he was an army alone, or perhaps maybe a demigod. Whenever Link shot arrows, he tried Countering them, not dodging. Those arrows usually glanced off his sword blade and into Roy. He would try Dancing Blade on Zelda incessantly, only to be blocked and blasted away by Nayru's Love, a diamond shaped shield of blue energy that she would conjure up when in danger. If Link threw bombs, the fool would try catching them and throwing them back. Only one time out of ten would he succeed, and when he did, he took the time to taunt them, giving them time to recover and retaliate. Overall it was a disaster.

Roy, being slightly more sensible, chose to attack when the opportunity presented itself, Countering when possible and dodging behind his opponents to Smash Attack them from behind. The swordsman lost an advantage because he had never fought the two, not to mention being friends with them, and they worked as a team, whereas his partner was a loose cannon.

It was mostly improvisational fighting anyways. With the balloons always moving, you had to adapt to each different situation. After the big rock-snake came a tree and a round, purple ball, which then lifted up to reveal a pink…creature. Which then slid over to reveal a greenish-blue dinosaur with a plant on its back, followed by a blue creature with spikes coming out of its head, an oval, pink and very large thing that popped up three different times in three different areas and finally, a large number of relatively small and seemingly random black shapes with one eye each.

It was at the stage with the tree and purple blob that Roy got the advantage. Marth was hurtling through the air from a combo Spin Attack and Smash attack from Link and Zelda. Jumping up from the purple thing, Roy landed on one of the tree's branches and immediately began charging his Flare Blade. As predicted, the two followed, and because of the branch being above them, they couldn't see what he was doing. Once their heads cleared the round, bulbous leaves, they saw, and their eyes widened with shock. The explosion sent them flying farther than Marth, who had just returned to the arena, and their cries could be heard for a full 5 seconds before the crash that announced they had been Knocked Out.

Roy spun his sword and struck a pose. A hit like that deserved a little show. Cries of "Roy's our boy!" floated from the unseen audience, and Marth arched an eyebrow at him.

"Partners?" Roy asked quickly.

"For now." was the reply.

_Better than nothing_, he thought dryly. A moment later, Link and Zelda had returned to fight and the life count was Roy: six, Marth: three, Link: seven and Zelda: six. As the four dropped down, the blue dressed swordsmen immediately went into their Dancing Blade poses. They flowed from form to form with ease, ducking under a slash from Link to send him head over heels behind them, spinning past a Din's Fire attack from Zelda to land their final blows, and therefore most powerful, on her. She flew out of the arena again, and they turned their attention on Link.

The Hylian had drawn an arrow already and as they turned, he released. This time, Marth dodged and rolled toward him while Roy Countered it, sending the arrow off into the air. Marth slashed at Link's legs and the blond went flying towards Roy. The now brunet focused quickly and as Link went flying overhead, Smashed upward. Flames shot up the blade, adding to the impact. While not enough to K.O. the other swordsman, the damage was high enough so one last Shield Breaker from Marth sent him off the edge.

The Green team regrouped though, and because of their advantage of having long and close range, defeated the Fire Emblem natives.

vvvvvvvvv

After the battle, the competitors took a much-needed rest. Other teams went and fought. Bowser and Ganondorf faced off against Ness and Samus; an odd combination, that last one, but it was abstract enough to come out on top. Finally, after everyone had competed and recovered, they were all lounging around in the den, waiting for an important announcement.

Their host strolled in, beaming. "Well done everyone!" he boomed. "I'd like to offer my congratulations to the victors and my condolences to the defeated. And now," he grinned, "I'd like to show you your standings."

Flourishing his arm, he produced a piece of paper seemingly from nowhere and hung it up on apparently nothing. Everyone crowded around, looking for his or her name. Jostling one another and exclaiming loudly when they were jostled in return or found their names.

Mewtwo suddenly drew back, face aghast.

What is this? he cried, telepathically. Last? This is impossible! 

Ness and Young Link laughed. "Face it, you've only won two matches the entire time," Young Link told him.

"Even _my_ psychic powers beat yours and I'm a kid!" Ness laughed.

Mewtwo glared at his hands. His fingers slowly curled into tight fists and he glided out of the room angrily.

"Fifteenth? Oh, come _on_! How could the bird beat me?" Captain Falcon demanded loudly. Falco just smiled smugly at him. He sat two places higher in the roster; the thirteenth spot.

Roy scanned the list eagerly for his name, starting at the bottom. Going past Bowser in seventeenth and Donkey Kong in tenth, his eyebrows rose in surprise as his eyes rose up the list. There. At number 4, just behind Link, Marth and…Jigglypuff?

Everyone slowly turned to face the pink fluff ball. It looked around, closed its eyes, smiled, and with a quick "Jiggly!" it bounced off, up the stairs. Everyone stared after it in slack-jawed amazement.

vvvvvvvvv

Trudging up the stairs and down the hallway, Roy stopped as he heard voices. Most of the time the people stayed in their rooms if they were in this hallway. Pikachu and Pichu raced down the hallway, and the flame-haired man had to flatten himself against the wall to avoid being knocked over. Well, almost everyone stayed in his or her rooms. But noise was kept to a bare minimum. And that was the very least. Sneaking up to the corner, he listened.

"…To thank you for being such a wonderful teammate. And congratulate you for doing so well." That was Zelda's voice. And it sounded…throaty.

"I'm…not sure what you mean." That was Link.

"Let me show you." A muffled moaning and wet, smacking sounds came from around the corner. Roy peeked over, already knowing what he was going to see, but by the time his head rounded the bend, Link's door was just shutting, muffling all sound. Roy snuck quietly to his own room, mind racing.

Throwing himself down on his bed, he glared at the ceiling. How could she lead him on like that? All those mischievous smiles, those glances with fiery eyes. But in the back of his head, another voice popped up.

Were they really as meaningful as you say? Couldn't that just be your imagination, your wishes, making you see those? And besides, when this is over we'll all end up in our separate worlds and it's only fair she has someone who can take care of her there.

The realization of it all dawned on him, that and the embarrassment. He had acted like a complete fool for weeks now, and all because of a pointless, childish crush! Chuckling to himself wryly, he undressed for bed and rolled onto his side. From now on, nothing could cloud his mind. Focus on the goal and nothing could stop him. Not even that bouncy, pink ball. Ha…pink ball….

Sleep overcame him and he dreamed deeply of bouncing, pink balls.

Thusly, I end Chapter Four of Roy's Story… R&R, even if it's to criticize. Maybe even especially if it's to criticize so I'll know how to make this more enjoyable. Thanks to all who support this fic.

S&C44


	5. Chapter 5

Super Smash Bros.: MELEE

Roy's story…

Chapter Five: Fight for First

For the next full week, Roy didn't have any fights scheduled. When he wasn't watching other Smashers' fights and memorizing every other person's fighting style he was in the training yard or practice rooms working on new combos and working on his speed. He would emerge hours later, sweating and exhausted only to get something to eat and drink.

Oddly, on the first morning Roy awoke to find a letter pushed under his door. Yawning and stretching, he picked it up and sat back down on his bed to read it. It was from Marth.

Roy,

We both want that number one spot. It's easy to tell. Since we're so equally matched (although you'll noticed I _did_ end up higher than you on the standings) I think we should call a temporary truce. That way we can eliminate those who pose more of a threat to us. Think carefully on this and give me your answer as soon as possible.

-Marth

Before Roy got very far down the hallway toward the kitchen, Marth intercepted him.

"Well?"

Roy frowned slightly at the demand but replied anyway.

"I'll agree. But it only lasts till the other two are gone."

Smiling – smirking really – Marth clapped him on the shoulder and strode by down the hall, dodging the two yellow Pokémon as they raced down the hall.

vvvvvvvvv

Because he spent so much time alone, Roy was behind on the rest of the occupants of the strange mansion. Taking a quick break for food on the fourth day off, he passed Link in the hall. He grinned and started to say hi…and Link walked right past him staring straight ahead.

"Uh…hey?" Roy said, staring after him, incredulous. Muttering to himself and shaking his head, the flame haired man turned and almost ran into Zelda, standing in front of him and looking very, very angry.

"What. The _hell_. Is this?" she demanded, shaking a piece of paper under his nose and glaring furiously. Puzzled, Roy grabbed the paper and scanned over it.

Zelda,

I know what you were doing with that pointy-eared bastard and I want you to know I think it's disgusting. You give up your body like it's just a piece of trash. Well I guess that makes you a piece of trash. I hope you're happy knowing you're now a whore to everyone here. May you live badly and die worse,

-Roy

By the time he finished the letter for the third time, Roy realized he was breathing heavily through his nose and his fingers were punching holes through the paper. This wasn't the only letter Marth had written in the past few days. And his mistake had just caught up with him. Grabbing Zelda by the arm, ignoring her protests, he pulled her into the nearest alcove.

"I did _not_ write this," he whispered fiercely. "I know who did though!" Pulling out the letter from Marth, he thrust it at her. "Look at this!"

Every time she finished a line, Zelda's eyes grew wider. She snatched the other letter from him and compared the two. "The writing is identical," she muttered, "but why?"

"Because he's a conniving traitor," Roy replied sourly. "Show whoever else has seen your letter this. I'm going to go set that blue-haired menace straight."

vvvvvvvvv

Marth was out on the front lawn, staring at the distant stadium. He turned when he heard Roy approaching. Breaking into an obviously false grin he spread his arms in greeting.

"Ah, hello again, Roy. Come to enjoy the fresh air, too?"

Roy didn't stop until he was about two feet away. Glaring he raised the note to Zelda.

"What the _fuck_ were you trying to do?" he demanded loudly. He hadn't meant to curse but it had just come out. It fit though, and he wasn't going to worry about crudeness when there was something more important at hand. "Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Kirby, Ness and Young Link, who were over on another side of the lawn stared at them, slack-jawed.

Marth's expression was grim now. "Do you really think I'm going to leave you in peace?" he said through gritted teeth. "I want the glory of being the one to save universes. Me! And right now, you are a threat; one I won't let go free."

"So take the glory! _I_ don't want it. I knew you were thick-sculled but not this low. Petty, not to mention badly executed, tricks to try to make my life miserable? Almost everyone knows about that letter!"

Putting on a cruel smile, Marth stepped closer so they were nose to nose. "I think that you're just mad because _Zelda_ is mad," he taunted. "You know you still want her. You know you resent that elf for taking her."

"Not anymore. Now leave me alone or I _will_ have to hurt you."

Roy started to stalk away, but Marth had one last remark.

"Maybe you're mad that she got him then."

_How dare he? How _dare_ he!_

Pivoting smoothly, Roy's heel caught Marth across the face, sending him sprawling in the dirt. Yanking his sword out of his sheath, Roy raised it over his head. Men like Marth deserved this.

A huge hand grabbing his arms interrupted his swing. A booming voice sounded from behind him.

"Maybe you should take this into the arena."

The host's face was grim, but there was a sparkle in his eyes. "I'd just come over to set up a screen where everyone could see their ranks, but I think I just thought of another announcement to make. Grudge Matches!"

Yanking his hand free and holding his head from the volume of the man's voice, Roy wondered sourly if the man had a way to turn everything into a match. By then, everyone had heard the noise and was coming out to investigate. Some looked at his sword questioningly and Roy hurriedly put it back into its sheath. Listening to the host's explanation, he decided that Grudge Matches were just what everyone needed.

vvvvvvvvv

From the Smasher's Box, Roy watched as Mario and Luigi battled fiercely, maybe more fiercely than he has seen either fight before. It was Luigi's choice and maybe being brothers had something to do with it, but they were a non-stop flurry of action.

"D' you think that Luigi chose this 'cause he's always second best?" Captain Falcon asked.

Chuckling, Fox, Falco and Ganondorf murmured their assent.

After Luigi's third straight K.O., the crowd started up a chant of "Lu – i – gi, Lu – i – gi!"

Mario had just reappeared onto the stage and dropped down from the platform when Luigi began his trademark pose, which was to hang his head bashfully and scuff his foot. Using the time to charge up a Smash Attack, Mario made the mistake of standing directly in front of him. Luigi's foot came up and into Mario's shin, disrupting his attack. Luigi used the brief pause to use Tornado Punch, spinning quickly while rising into the air, each revolution causing damage. After about three spins, he tucked into a ball and then burst out, sending Mario back over to the edge of the arena. Using Dive, a move that rocketed him toward an opponent, Luigi smashed headfirst into Mario and sent him off the edge for the final K.O.

"GAME!" came the announcer's shout. "Winner, LUIGI!"

After three more fights; Falco beating Captain Falcon, Link tying with Ganondorf and Pichu losing to Pikachu, it was Roy's turn to choose. His decision was easy. Without looking at the other swordsman, Roy stated "Marth," and walked into the transporter.

vvvvvvvvv

Roy sweated and panted through clenched teeth. Circling around on the platform – the Pokémon stadium from the first day – and watched his adversary carefully. Marth was doing the same; their battle so far had been fierce, Marth using his speed and Roy his strength, and both the combatants were tired. Marth was in the lead by one K.O., it was one to two. Setting his teeth, Roy searched Marth's eyes for any sign of weakness. They flickered slightly to the left and Roy made his move.

Rolling to the right, he popped up to the blue-haired man's other side and immediately swung into a variation of Dancing Blade, going up, down, mid-height and down again. Catching Marth off guard, he fell heavily, partly from exhaustion and partly from a high damage count; 200 when Roy checked his wristband.

Seizing the opportunity, Roy charged up a Smash Attack. The other swordsman climbed groggily to his feet. The pain they felt may have been distant but the energy taken to fight was the same.

He tilted his head up and saw Roy standing in front of him, almost at full power and his eyes widened. Just as Roy released, Marth jumped up into a Counter pose, caught the blow and reversed it. Roy went sprawling twenty feet away. He lay there, catching his breath partly, but also waiting for the other man's slow, shaky steps to take him closer. With a cry, Marth raised his sword over his head. Roy rolled backward just as the blow came down where he had been laying and grabbed Marth by his tunic. He struck the other man in the face twice and then, using all the force he could muster, tossed him off the side of the arena.

Marth grabbed desperately at the edge of the main platform. Feeling his fingers close on something solid, he closed his eyes and sighed in relief. And then the platform shook as the stage changed. Losing his grip, he fell, passing through that invisible barrier with the roar of the crowd in his ears.

"Roy's our boy! Roy's our boy!"

The stadium had changed to its Fire stage, all dead trees, a burning building and heat. Sweltering, blistering heat that Roy took strength from. The shared fire element of the area and himself seemed to ease some of the weariness away from him. Standing with little difficulty for the first time in the last fifteen minutes, Roy watched Marth descend from above on his return platform.

Marth dropped down onto the top of the burning building and wiped sweat from his face. Roy still didn't move except to shift into a better ready position, sword turned backwards in his hand, standing sideways and facing his opponent. Glaring at him, Marth charged toward the fiery-haired swordsman. His steps were still a little clumsy from effort and now from his opposite element being so strong. Roy dodged his attack easily and struck him from behind, sending him sprawling into the dirt.

Double jumping up onto the dead half-tree, Roy crouched down and focused energy into his sword once again. As expected, Marth jumped up after him and caught the low Smash Attack Roy had been preparing in the chest. He started to hurtle backwards, then corrected himself with a second jump and flashed upward with Dolphin Blow, his version of Roy's Blazer, only faster and without the flames.

The move caught Roy off guard and sent him high into the air. Trying vainly to correct himself, he rolled sideways, trying to keep as low as possible. Roy felt a familiar tingle and braced himself…and then he was falling again. Gasping for breath and marveling at how close he had come to losing this fight, he gathered his thoughts and watched Marth, still on the ground. By this time the stadium had changed back to the original mode and the other swordsman was standing on the left platform, waiting for Roy to come within reach of his blade.

Roy let himself fall, tensing as he got closer. Marth began charging his Shield Breaker. Time seemed to slow for Roy, yet go so fast at the same time. One second he was above Marth, then he was level with him, staring into his eyes as he smiled wickedly and brought his attack down. Roy smiled back and paused in the air, then rolled just out of reach. Marth's attack passed millimeters away from his face and the man himself was thrown off balance, falling off the small platform and on to the main one.

Using the last scraps of energy he had left, Roy flowed through the forms of Dancing Blade, hitting legs, chest and arms before slamming into Marth's middle, sending him off into the distance a ways. Barely recovering, Marth jumped in midair and glided back down to the platform only to be met by an almost fully charge Flare Blade. The attack nearly stunned him and he hurtled through the air and past that invisible barrier that told him he'd lost.

vvvvvvvvv

Roy stared at where Marth had disappeared, panting. The exhaustion from before returned, only ten times as much. Dropping to one knee and leaning heavily on his sword so that he didn't fall face first on the ground right then, he was barely aware of the announcer proclaiming his victory, nor the feeling of being transported back to the mansion. The only thing he could think was how good it felt to see the shock on Marth's face when he realized that he had lost. Dimly aware of people crowding around him, he looked up, smiled at them and passed out on the floor.


	6. Chapter 6

Super Smash Bros.: MELEE

Roy's story…

Chapter Six: "Damn that little pink ball!"

Groaning, Roy rolled around on his mattress. A seemingly blinding light was filtering through his eyelids - not exactly the most welcoming awakening. He turned over one more time and fell off the bed with a thump.

"Ow…"

Sitting up and stretching, he noticed he only had on his underclothes. The next thing he noticed was that there were two people in the room. Link and Zelda were standing near the doorway. Zelda was looking away, trying to hide a chuckle and Link was smirking at him openly.

"Are you going to get some clothes on or walk around half naked all day?" the blond man asked, still grinning that smart-aleck grin.

With a start, Roy jumped up and grabbed his clothes from the small closets the mansion's occupants were provided with. Zelda started laughing more, not bothering to cover it with a hand anymore.

"How long –" Roy started, but stopped when he nearly fell over pulling on his pants. "How long have you two been here?"

"We've been in and out over the past two days. You were completely beat after that fight. Marth might still be asleep," Zelda replied, reduced to just smiles now that most of the redhead's clothes were on.

A startled, blue-eyed look popped out from the collar of Roy's shirt. "Two days? Was I really out that long?"

Link pulled open the door. "Yeah. You didn't miss much though; the automated rank list was put up in the practice yard. You and I both pushed up a spot and Marth dropped a couple."

"What about Jigglypuff?" Roy enquired.

"Bah…. Still in first; I don't know how the thing does it."

"Damn that little pink ball…"

"Yeah I know."

The three of them strode out into the hall. Roy took a deep breath and smiled. It felt good to be moving around again after lying in bed for the past t-

Something blasted him with a large amount of energy, and when he was able to sit up again – he didn't even remember falling – he could just see two lightning shaped tails fleeing around the corner. He sat up with a groan and watched the other two do the same.

"What was _that_ all about?" Roy demanded.

Wincing, Zelda got up on her feet with a little help from Link. "Did you notice how those two would always be running through the halls?" Roy nodded. "Well apparently they've been working their way through the building, zapping everyone from one end of the building to the other."

As she spoke another loud buzz was heard, followed by a loud curse from Captain Falcon. The large man came stomping down the hall a moment later, dripping wet from the washroom and holding a slightly charred towel around himself. Samus and Falco passed by and whistled mockingly. Captain Falcon gave them a rude gesture in return and stomped into his room, slamming the door.

Starting down the hall, Roy clapped a hand to his stomach.

"I don't know about either of you but I'm starving."

Link peered behind them. "After seeing that, I don't have much of an appetite."

vvvvvvvvv

After eating, word was passed through the occupants of the house to go to the lounge for another meeting.

When Roy walked into the room the big, burley man who served as the host clapped him on the shoulder, nearly sending him to his knees. Smiling shakily at the beaming man, he made his way over to one of the couches, plopping down next to Jigglypuff. It hopped and smiled at him before turning back to face the host.

"Gather 'round everyone," the big man said. Samus pushed past Captain Falcon – who had been trying unsuccessfully to woo her – and sat down on Roy's other side. Ganondorf, Mewtwo and Bowser, the lowest ranking Smashers, stayed in the corner by themselves. Everyone else sat or stood in a general semicircle facing their multitasking host.

"Now, then. Where shall we begin? First of all, I would like to congratulate our top four scorers in the rankings so far. And to those of you who seem to be lagging behind, pick up the pace." Mewtwo and the others glowered. "That being said, I would like to ann-"

Marth stalked in just then, cutting off the announcer in mid sentence. Everyone stared as he walked over to a lone chair in the midst of the silence and sat down. Clearing his throat, the big man at the head of the room dragged everyone's attention back to him.

"Well now that everyone is here this will be easier. What I would like to announce is that our top four Smashers will be having a contest for first in exactly one week." Murmurs started up around the room and Roy and Link shared a questioning look. Raising his voice a little, the announcer continued. "This will be a particularly special match because it will incorporate items from your various home worlds along with doubling the Knock Out count from five to ten. Other than that only the usual rules apply…which are, of course, try to beat everyone else. All other matches are postponed until then and I suggest that the four of you," he eyed Marth, Roy, Link and Jigglypuff steadily, "practice hard; you'll need it. Good luck and I'll return in one week."

With that he strode out of the room. Everyone filtered out of the room except for the four top rankers. They sat, looking at one another until Jigglypuff finally bounced off with one last "Jiggly!"

Sighing, Link got up and stretched. "I guess I'll go find Young Link and hit the yard." He walked over to Roy. "Are you coming?"

"In a moment," Roy replied. Eyeing Marth for a second, Link nodded slowly and exited. Marth got up and followed staring straight ahead so pointedly he might as well have slapped the other fighter. Roy ignored him just as studiously. After a few minutes of silence, he got up and walked the hall to his room, dodging Pikachu and Pichu as they dashed down the hall, this time being chased by an infuriated Samus. Ignoring them, he turned into his room and reached for his gear. A sudden thought came over him and he stopped.

_Why am I fighting so hard for this?_

He went over to the window facing the yard and watched as Link and his younger counterpart went through their moves together, watched by Zelda, Yoshi and the Mario brothers.

_Is it for glory? I don't want the glory. Not this badly._ He sat on his bed and stared at his sword, not really seeing it. _I suppose it's for them,_ he thought, _my friends and even the ones I don't particularly like. No one has the right to take someone's entire life away from them, not even those 'hands'. Even if no one will recognize this glory, I'll know what I've done to help these people. I suppose that's good enough for me._

"Of course," he muttered, "it would still be nice not to have to deal with the likes of Ganondorf and Marth." Buckling on his sword belt, he strode down the hall and out into the yard. It was going to be a long week.

It's the end of the sixth installment already and still plenty more to go. Thank you to all of you who give me feedback, and please, keep it coming. I can always use some improvement. Thanks again,

-S&C44

P.S. – Don't miss my other story. It's a drastically different humorous Kingdom Hearts "interview" (because too many of those are drooling Riku fan girls and it's always nice to have a guy's outlook for a change) that I'm writing on the side. My main focus will still be on this one, never fear.


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